Termites at a home in Foshan city, Guangdong province, had one expensive meal with over 400,000 Yuan or £42,000 being decimated by a colony of termites, Hebei Urban Network reported.

The money was stored in a wood cabinet by an old lady who didn’t like to keep her money in a bank. When she started to renovate her home she discovered what had happened to the cash notes.

Once the money was taken to the bank, she was able to exchange 90,000 Yuan straight away since this portion had minimal damage. However the remaining 310,000 Yuan will need professional evaluation before the bank will convert it to new notes. The estimated loss is estimated at more than 60,000 Yuan.